Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Crypto World

Donald Trump is Leaving His Forced Legacy On the US Dollar Bill

Published

on

The US Treasury Department announced Thursday, March 26, that Donald Trump will become the first sitting president to have his signature appear on the US dollar, a move officials say is intended to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.

The decision raised immediate questions about the notes’ future once the current administration leaves office. While US law guarantees all issued currency remains legal tender indefinitely, a future administration could quietly stop printing them.

Trump is Breaking a 165 Year Economic Tradition

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s signature will appear alongside Trump’s, beginning with $100 bills in June, with other denominations to follow. In a press release, Bessent framed the decision as recognition of the administration’s economic record.

“There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than US dollar bills bearing his name, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial,” he said.

Treasurer Brandon Beach echoed the sentiment, describing Trump as “the architect of America’s Golden Age economic revival.”

Advertisement

“Printing his signature on the American currency is not only appropriate, but also well deserved,” Beach said.

The announcement marked a significant departure from longstanding practice. 

Since 1861, US banknotes have carried only the signatures of the Treasury Secretary and the Treasurer. The current bills in circulation bear the signatures of former Secretary Janet Yellen and former Treasurer Lynn Malerba.

The reaction was swift. California Governor Gavin Newsom was among the first to respond, posting to X:

Advertisement

“Now Americans will know exactly who to blame as they’re paying more for groceries, gas, rent, and health care.”

The decision represented the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to attach the president’s name to American institutions.

A Broader Naming Campaign

Last December, the administration renamed the United States Institute of Peace after Trump, placing his name on the organization’s headquarters following a prolonged dispute over control of the institute. 

Roughly two weeks later, the Kennedy Center added Trump’s name to the performing arts complex. Congress had originally designated the venue as a living memorial to former President John F. Kennedy.

By December 22, the pattern extended to war equipment.

Trump announced plans for the Navy to develop a new class of large surface battleships, which the administration said would meet the demands of modern maritime conflict. Sky News reported at the time that a senior administration official had confirmed the fleet would be known as “Trump Class” battleships.

Unlike renaming a building or rebranding a battleship, removing a president’s signature from the US dollar is not simply a matter of political will. Any future administration seeking to undo it will face considerable logistical and legislative hurdles.

What the Next US President Can and Cannot Do

Under the Legal Tender Act, all currency issued by the United States government remains valid and redeemable at face value indefinitely. 

Advertisement

No president, treasury secretary, or act of the executive branch can unilaterally invalidate notes already in circulation. While Congress holds constitutional authority over legal tender, no administration would willingly risk the economic disruption the process entails.

The practical path available to a future administration is narrower. It would involve instructing the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to stop producing notes bearing Trump’s signature. New currency would then be issued, quietly reverting to the previous norm.

No legislation would need to be passed. The existing notes would simply fade from circulation on their own as newly printed dollars replace them.

That process, however, will take time. Depending on how many notes are printed before any future administration changes course, Trump-signed currency could remain in widespread use for the foreseeable future.

Advertisement

The post Donald Trump is Leaving His Forced Legacy On the US Dollar Bill appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Crypto World

Morgan Stanley Sets Bitcoin ETF Fee at Ultra-Low 0.14%

Published

on

Morgan Stanley Sets Bitcoin ETF Fee at Ultra-Low 0.14%

Investment bank Morgan Stanley is seeking to launch its spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund at a 0.14% fee, which would make it the cheapest in the US market and potentially force rivals to cut fees to stay competitive.

The 0.14% fee, proposed in Morgan Stanley’s latest S-1 registration statement on Friday, would be one basis point below the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC), currently the cheapest in the US market, and 11 basis points below the BlackRock-issued iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT).

“Big move here. They are not messing around,” Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart said, predicting that the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT) is “likely to launch in early April.”

Source: James Seyffart

Fellow Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said the low fee means that none of Morgan Stanley’s roughly 16,000 financial advisors — which manage $6.2 trillion in client assets — would feel conflicted in recommending the product to its clients.

Given that spot Bitcoin ETFs track the price movements of Bitcoin (BTC), Morgan Stanley’s ultra-low fee could spark a fresh fee war in the $83 billion market, putting immediate pressure on rivals to cut costs or risk losing assets.

Advertisement

Regulatory approval would make Morgan Stanley the first bank to issue a spot Bitcoin ETF, expanding access to Bitcoin exposure for millions of its high-net-worth clients.

“They are the ultimate gatekeepers of rich boomer money,” Balchunas added.

Morgan Stanley previously selected Coinbase and Bank of New York Mellon as the proposed custodians for its Bitcoin ETF.

Morgan Stanley seeking suite of crypto ETFs, banking charter

Morgan Stanley, previously one of the more crypto-hesitant Wall Street firms, filed for the spot Bitcoin ETF in the first week of January, along with a Solana (SOL) ETF.

Advertisement

Related: Bitcoin traders see 53% odds of sub-$66K BTC by April 24 

It then filed papers for a staked Ether (ETH) ETF later that week, and by the end of the month, the bank appointed one of Morgan Stanley’s longest-standing executives, Amy Oldenburg, to lead its digital asset team.

Source: James Seyffart

Morgan Stanley also applied for a national trust banking charter on Feb. 18, seeking to custody certain digital assets and execute purchases, sales and swaps for clients in addition to staking services.

In October, before the investment bank adopted its institutional crypto strategy, it recommended a 2% to 4% allocation to crypto portfolios for investors. It also allowed its financial advisors to recommend crypto funds to clients with individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)s.

Magazine: Bitcoin may face hard fork over any attempt to freeze Satoshi’s coins

Advertisement